This invention relates to the art of diffusing into the air of a region the vapor from a vaporizable material for deodorizing, disinfecting or humidifying or in other ways treating the air in the region. The treatment whether it be deodorizing, disinfecting or humidifying the region or treating the air in any other way is in this application referred to as "air treatment." This invention has particular relationship to apparatus for air treatment which includes a motor-driven blower for producing a stream of air which releases vapor of air-treating, vaporizable material from a porous solid impregnated with the material and which is provided with a replacable cartridge including a power supply for energizing the motor and the porous solid. This invention also has particular relationship to the replacable cartridge for such apparatus.
Zlotnik discloses apparatus and a cartridge as generally described above. FIG. 1 of Zlotnik discloses apparatus 11 including an air-stream generating assembly 15 having motor 25 and blower 27 and the cartridge 17, which includes the battery 43 and the annular porous block 53 that is impregnated with the vaporizable material from which vapor is released by the air stream. Zlotnik's apparatus has performed satisfactorily, but it is desirable that the cartridge be further simplified to further facilitate the handling of the cartridge in storage, shipment and replacement and to achieve substantial cost reduction.
It is an object of this invention to accomplish this purpose and to provide a cartridge of simpler and less complicated structure and less costly than the Zlotnik cartridge and which lends itself readily to simplified handling and is less costly.